Parallax says:

I liked mountain biking but found that arthritis in my wrists and
elbows (aggravated by years of caving) made it difficult to hold the
handlebars through more than 15 minutes of rough trails. 48 yrs isnt
really not THAT old.

Yeah, the wrists can be a pain (pun intended). And 48 definitely ISN'T that
old, I'm 49 and still manage to ride a fair amount.

Unfortunately, the old Golden Retriever had to be "put down"

Condolences.

Fortunately, my
wife had been released from the hospital so we sorta managed to have
her hobble into the vets office to say goodbye.

Dang! If I had known you had so much going on I would never have tried to wax
funny about the mountain-biking thing.

FINALLY, am at the point of sealing the inside and
painting the inside.

There you go! Grats.

Steve